Anziano Prego

Sounds like alot of stuff is going on there in Wanship! I hope everyone is okay and nobody died from the fires!! Things are good here:) The summer is coming to an end and the teprature is starting to go down a little. We have some new english course students so there is some potential there. I have to teach english course every time because Liccioli is Italian. But i love it! It is giving me good expirience for teaching:) We have one investigator right now in Gela. His name is Salvatore and we have only met with him one time so far. I hope that he progresses:) The work is very small, but we have a few less actives we have been trying to strengthen. Have you seen Sam lately? You should call her every once in a while:) thanks for everything you have ever done for me mom:) I love you soooooooo much!!!!!! Never change:)<3<3<3 Have fun fighting fire and have a good back to school!!!!

Wow! Feeling a bit like a Mermaid out of water…..oops Mermaid riding along in an out-of-water, water tender. Just got home from eating dinner with fire crews at the fire station. Great garlic mashed potatos. People have been so generous with food, drinks, supplies. I’ve been up on the fire scene the last five hours. Mark was drafting from the Weber River and refilling water tenders at the bridge all day and into the evening. Glad to find he was on a safe detail. I went to see him there at the dinner hour. Assistant Chief Jodi Robinson was coming to refill his tank and Mark said I could ride up the mountain with him. So I ran home and donned my wildland gear and speckled sage hen hiking boots and went with Jodi. Jodi’s daughter will be in my class this year.

The burn in the Rockport Estates development is huge. I saw the Rasmussen home. Gone, and still smoldering. Understand that the Bowen’s home is still in tact. I couldn’t see any of the Promentory side from where we were near Dave Miller’s home. But there was fire burning along that ridge. National Guard Apache helicopters were filling in Rockport and dropping along this fire line, as well as hot spots not far from us. We focused on putting out hot spots in green pockets inside the burn out, as well as checking and turning off propane valves. There is a wide range of structures that our crew of six was defending. Everything from abandoned dumpy trailor houses to large beautiful year round homes with cars and ATVs in the driveway. I wondered if there were any pets in some of the homes. Most homes have zero defensible space with tall oakbrush growing right up to the homes and decks. Steep terraine. Narrow roads. No water supply or hydrants.

Evening comes as a welcome visitor with temps dropping into the fifties and wind dying down. With all the smoke in the atmosphere, the moon looked red on the short drive home. I think the Millers are at Grandma’s again tonight. Mark, Dave Miller, Jodi, and so many others will return in the early morning to continue with supression efforts. Up to 100 degree temperatures tomorrow. Hope the fire doesn’t blow up again mid day. I was hoping I would hear some things in a debriefing at the fire station. No such luck. I can learn just as much by watching the news on television which I just did. I may ride up the mountain again tomorrow afternoon or evening. Dunno. Lots of things calling to me.

It was fun to watch the air attack. Imagined riding in the bambi bags carried by the helicopters. What a thrill ride that would be. The huge DC6 slowly circled and dropped its red payload all day long. It gets so low, you would think it scrapes its belly on the oak brush. Amazing. Flight of the Condor stuff.

Guess what?! Going to dress Ivy, the leaf lady tomorrow. The first time I dressed Ivy was in cognito in a grass skirt and coconuts. Believe I had a hand in this movement. This time……well, Can you guess how? I will give you some hints……not a jogging suit, not a banana suit, but yellow…..and very timely. ha ha …..working on the sign and tribute.